UTevolution

Full Matrix
Capture and Total Full matrix capture and the total focusing method are considered by many NDT
experts to be the next major improvement to phased array ultrasonic testing.

Focusing Method: This article showcases some advantages the new techniques offer compared to
the capabilities of traditional ultrasonic phased array.

The Next Evolution —John Chen, Back to Basics Technical Editor

in Ultrasonic
N
ondestructive testing is an ever-evolving field. New technologies
arrive that supplement and sometimes supersede existing tech-
Testing niques, as they better facilitate the goal of nondestructive inspec-
tions: to more accurately detect and characterize material defects,
by Alan Caulder and thusly better ensure public safety. Within the domain of ultrasonic testing
(UT), phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) techniques represented a leap
forward in UT capabilities when they were adapted for industrial applications,
allowing more flexibility in beam focusing, beam steering, and data imaging.
This article will describe, in an introductory manner, what many feel is the
next great stride to come in the advancement of industrial ultrasonics: full
matrix capture (FMC) and the total focusing method (TFM).
From Materials Evaluation, Vol. 76, No. 5, pp: 591-597. To preface the discussion of FMC/TFM, it is important to establish the two
Copyright © 2018 The American Society for acronyms’ distinctions from the other. Although the terms are often used
Nondestructive Testing, Inc. interchangeably and individually to explain the technique, the true full
description of the inspection technique discussed in this article is FMC/TFM.
In basic terms, FMC is a method of data acquisition, while TFM describes a
postprocessing image reconstruction algorithm applied to the FMC data. To say

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FMC only means one has the raw acquired waveforms To clarify one key point for this discussion, a
(A-scans) solely, and TFM cannot stand alone without specific “FMC probe” is not required. The FMC acquisi-
the FMC dataset to image. tion is performed with what would be considered a
standard PAUT probe.
Explanation of Full Matrix Capture We can now contrast these two acquisition
Full matrix capture describes a specific technique of UT sequences algebraically to begin to understand the
data acquisition. Perhaps to the uninitiated it is best to differentiation in image quality that FMC can offer when
contrast it to the more widely known phased array UT compared to PAUT (Figure 2). If we consider the active
acquisition style. When pulsing the piezoelectric aperture to be represented by N, then we can say with
elements during PAUT transmission, some number of one PAUT firing sequence (set of focal laws), a dataset of
these elements (typically referred to as an aperture) is
fired, with or without time delays (typically referred to as
delay or focal laws), depending on the application. In
one PAUT acquisition cycle, these elements are pulsed
and then receive a single returned waveform (A-scan) for
each element in the aperture. These A-scans are then
digitized and displayed on a graphical user interface
(GUI), usually a screen directly on the instrument or on a
standalone computer in some cases, where the techni-
cian views, evaluates, and analyzes the data.
In contrast, the basic FMC acquisition style is best
and most succinctly described as “pulse one, receive
all.” This is to say, for a 64-element probe, element 1 (a)
is pulsed and then elements 1 through 64 receive the
data from the single pulse, each element receiving an
individual A-scan. The process is then iterative:
element 2 is pulsed, and elements 1 through 64
receive; element 3 is pulsed and elements 1 through
64 receive, and so on, until all elements in the probe
(or subaperture in some cases) have fired. This
iterative pulse/receive format creates a full matrix of
the possible A-scans from the active probe aperture,
thus earning the name “full matrix capture” (Figure 1).

(b)
Receive elements
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...

1
2
Transmit elements

3
4
5
6
7
(c)
...

Figure 2. Comparison of PAUT and FMC/TFM:

Figure 1. Image of FMC matrix showing all A-scans received across a seven- (a) positioning of a 128-element PAUT probe on an
element subaperture (note: actual A-scans in an FMC matrix will differ for each aluminum block with side-drilled holes; (b) phased array
transmit/receive point). (PAUT) image of side-drilled hole block; (c) FMC/TFM
image of side-drilled hole block.

592 MATERIALS EVALUATION • MAY 2018

N A-scans is received. Referring back to the “pulse one,
receive all” FMC acquisition method, we see that with ui
one FMC acquisition, a dataset of N2 A-scans is received. x
In real numbers, we can state that with an active
aperture of 64 elements, one PAUT acquisition cycle will d
return 64 A-scans, while with that same aperture, one
FMC acquisition cycle will return 4096 A-scans. r

Explanation of the Total Focusing Method (x, z)

Now that the full matrix capture acquisition has been
performed and we have a dataset of waveforms far
exceeding what is possible with standard phased array UT, (a) z
the next step is to turn these abundant waveforms into a
usable inspection image. Enter the total focusing method. ui vj
x
The history of TFM largely lies in military sonar and
radar applications such as SAS (synthetic aperture
d
sonar) and SAR (synthetic aperture radar), respec-
r2
tively. These applications were translated to industrial r1
ultrasound via SAFT (synthetic aperture focusing
technique). TFM is an expansion of SAFT, where not
(x, z)
only is the response from one transmit/receive
element imaged, but also the response from one
transmit element coupled with the reception of all (b) z
elements in the active aperture (Figure 3).
When utilizing TFM, the user specifies an image
Figure 3. Algorithms: (a) the SAFT algorithm is monostatic—each element is
reconstruction area, sometimes referred to as the transmitting (in blue) and receiving a signal (in red); (b) the TFM algorithm is
“reconstruction grid” or “frame,” which is generally multistatic—single element is transmitting (in blue) and the signals are acquired
analogous to what is considered an inspection range in by all the elements (in red), where ui is the transmit element; vj is the receive
traditional ultrasonics. This reconstruction area is element; d is the element pitch (center to center inter-element spacing); r1 is the
time of flight from transmit element to reflector (or TFM reconstruction point); r2
assigned a certain number of reconstruction points in an
is the time of flight from reflector (or TFM reconstruction point) to receive
“X × Y” format, which can vary by software provider. element; x is the distance in the plane parallel to the probe face; and z is the
Some are as low as 256 × 256, and others are virtually distance in the plane perpendicular to the probe face.
unlimited (Figure 4). The TFM algorithm, shown in
Figure 3, is computed for each reconstruction point X2 XN–1 XN
X1 ...
using the acquired FMC data, which results in a very
high-resolution image, with the resolution increasing in x
correlation to the number of reconstruction points
assigned. This style of image reconstruction is unlike
what most UT technicians are accustomed to seeing
with conventional ultrasonics or PAUT, where the imaged
data is the result of a wave front occurring at any dz
specific area of the inspection range in view. With TFM,
each reconstruction point is a uniquely computed value
whose visual output is distinct from the associated
reconstruction points and ultrasonic wave front(s)
surrounding it. This results in two groundbreaking
imaging benefits:
l The image is effectively focused at every point
assigned in the reconstruction area. dx Region of interest
l This uniqueness of computation allows resolutions
that are below one half wavelength, providing a z
clarity of data that was previously thought impos- Figure 4. The TFM algorithm is computed for each point in the image
sible in industrial ultrasonics. reconstruction grid, where dz and dx represent the distance between TFM
reconstruction points in the Z and X axes, respectively.

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Advanced FMC/TFM, also known as

AFM, increases the acquisition speed
over traditional FMC/TFM...
Variations of the FMC/TFM Technique sides of the FMC/TFM technique. Advanced FMC/TFM,
As the TFM technique evolves, new and exciting also known as AFM, increases the acquisition speed
subsets of this signal-processing family are being over traditional FMC/TFM, while offering two differing
made available to allow inspectors even more flexi- but powerful advantages:
bility in image reconstruction. As stated previously, l the ability to resolve small reflectors over long metal
these techniques are not all “industry standard” and paths (Figure 5), and
may vary by equipment provider. A brief discussion of l greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and
a few of the TFM variations follows. resolution for inspection of highly attenuative
materials (Figure 6).
Advanced FMC/TFM The first item above, shown in Figures 5a through
This is an interesting optimization of the both the 5c, can offer industries such as aerospace a much
acquisition (FMC) and image reconstruction (TFM) greater ability to detect and characterize increasingly

50

100
Z axis (mm)

150

200

250

300

350

(b) (c) 400

–50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
X axis (mm)
450
500
550
Z axis (mm)

600
650
700
750
800
850
(a) (d) (e) –100 –50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
X axis (mm)

Figure 5. Inspection setup: (a) photo of aluminum block (~800 mm sound path) with 1 mm side-drilled holes with the 128-element PAUT probe
in place; (b) close-up photo of block (0 to 400 mm metal path); (c) FMC/TFM imaging of block (0 to 400 mm metal path); (d) close-up photo of
block (400 to 800 mm metal path); (e) FMC/TFM imaging of block (400 to 800 mm metal path).

594 MATERIALS EVALUATION • MAY 2018

small reflectors in critical forgings and castings. The The Benefits of FMC/TFM Postprocessing
second item, shown in Figure 6, offers a new alterna- One of the key benefits of the FMC/TFM technique is
tive to low-frequency and low-resolution PAUT inspec- the ability of the user to save the acquired full matrix
tions of attenuative weld materials, such as Inconel. capture dataset for later analysis and postprocessing.
In this case, “postprocessing” refers to the ability to
apply differing and sometimes more complex image
0
reconstruction algorithms to areas of the inspection
5
data that may require a more detailed analysis. It must
10 be stated that this ability is not an industry standard
Z axis (mm)

15 at this point; not all systems are able to store the

20 encoded FMC data and to perform the aforementioned
25 postprocessing. In this case, the user should consult
30 the equipment vendor(s).
35
40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
X axis (mm)

Figure 6. FMC/TFM image of 3.175 mm diameter side-

drilled holes in a welded alloy 59 calibration block.

Adaptive TFM
(a)
Items with a complex shape or irregular geometry
0
pose a challenge to ultrasonic testing, both via contact
and in immersion. The adaptive version of TFM 10
provides a way to solve this challenge. This technique 20
involves an FMC acquisition of the front surface of the
Z axis (mm)

object being inspected in order to estimate the surface 30

profile, which is then used to inform the time delays in 40
the TFM computations of the volumetric inspection
(Figure 7). 50
In immersion inspections, this technique can limit 60
or remove requirements for extensive motion control
70
and greatly increase scan speed. For contact inspec-
tion, with the appropriate probe and wedge set, this 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
can allow inspection of irregular or wavy surfaces, and
in some cases, inspections can be performed on the (b) X axis (mm)
actual weld crown itself.
10
TFMp 20
This is a lesser known variation, not yet widely
30
Z axis (mm)

available, that focuses on a more discrete signal

processing approach that can greatly reduce the 40
acoustic “footprint” of a reflector, allowing the 50
inspector to resolve indications separated by a very
60
small distance from one another, which may be
mischaracterized as a single indication with other 70
techniques (Figure 7c). TFMp (the “p” stands for
80
“penalization”) is an example of a postacquisition TFM 0 20 40 60 80 100
variation that is intended to be applied to a targeted X axis (mm)
(c)
area requiring extreme resolution by the technician
performing data analysis. Certainly as the family of Figure 7. Adaptive TFM imaging: (a) photo of curved block used in test; (b) with
TFM grows, more specialized TFM subsets like TFMp adaptive imaging; (c) with adaptive TFM imaging with TFMp image reconstruction
will become available. applied.

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An extremely interesting benefit of

FMC/TFM is the ability to analyze data from
the same acquisition in multiple wave modes...
Depending on the hardware and software commercial computing limitations and not a direct
platforms being utilized, the ability to postprocess limitation of the technique itself. The good news is
data provides some very key benefits. Some of these that, as commercial computing capabilities advance
may be: at a consistent and rapid pace, these perceived
l Postacquisition setup correction: Data can be constraints are becoming less of a limitation
acquired with incorrect parameters, such as every day.
element pitch or material velocity, and can be
corrected in postprocessing. This can preclude an
inspection company from needing to return to the
field to reacquire data due to an incorrect setup.
l Low-resolution acquisition/high-resolution
analysis: As the TFM postprocessing allows the FMC
dataset to be reconstructed after acquisition, the
data can be acquired at a relatively low resolution
(for example, 256 × 256 reconstruction points) and
later reconstructed in postprocessing at a much
higher resolution. This allows the inspection speed
to be increased due to the data being acquired with
minimalist parameters; however, with TFM postpro- (a)
cessing, the final analysis image can be of an
extremely high quality.
l Accessibility to multiple wave modes: An extremely
interesting benefit of FMC/TFM is the ability to
analyze data from the same acquisition in multiple
wave modes (again, this feature is manufacturer
dependent). In this case, acquisition may be
performed with the equipment set up in shear
velocity but later analyzed in postprocessing by
(b)
viewing the longitudinal mode portion of the acqui-
sition. This may seem counterintuitive to the tradi-
tional theory of ultrasonics, but if we review the TFM
algorithm (see Figure 3), it can be seen that it is a
function of the signal processing equation. To
extend this benefit, in some cases, one can view
the direct/half-skip (also known as TT or LL, trans-
verse and longitudinal, respectively), full skip
(TTTT or LLLL), and also a corner/tip-style signal
(TTT or LLL) in the same acquisition (Figure 8).
(c)
Barriers to Adoption
There have been some barriers to the adoption of the Figure 8. Wave mode images: (a) direct (LL or TT);
FMC/TFM technique. Concerns mainly focus on two (b) corner (LLL or TTT); and (c) indirect (LLLL or TTTT).
areas: scan speed and file size. It should be noted
that both of these constraints are a byproduct of

596 MATERIALS EVALUATION • MAY 2018

 Instead of judging the acquisition rate, or scan PAUT (AUT) scanner, and if discontinuities on the
speed, of FMC/TFM as slower than PAUT, we can view threshold of the accept/reject criteria are found,
this constraint instead as FMC/TFM being more FMC/TFM is used to make critical final evaluations.
computation-intensive. As the number of user- As discussed previously, FMC/TFM equipment
specified points of the image reconstruction grid manufacturers are increasingly solving the early stage
increases, the required data rate to compute these constraints of acquisition speed and file size.
iterative TFM calculations also increases. This data rate Therefore, we can expect that industry will soon be
can then be directly correlated to achievable scanning able to—if not already—replace traditional PAUT
speed. Thankfully, this increased data rate require- inspection with a much higher resolution FMC/TFM
ment for the practical implementation of the technique inspection with no increase in inspection time.
has been addressed by the manufacturers of FMC/TFM It should also be noted that FMC/TFM is currently
equipment. While standard commercially available being codified by the American Society of Mechanical
PAUT machines typically have a maximum data rate of Engineers (ASME) and the International Institute of
anywhere from 10 MB/s to 30 MB/s, commercially Welding (IIW), and this should make the technique
available FMC/TFM instruments may have available much more widely accepted for inspection companies
data rates from 100 MB/s up to 600 MB/s, and even to implement in the field.
higher for the most advanced systems on the market.
File size is even less of a limiting factor for Conclusions
FMC/TFM. As we have previously stated, the N versus The full matrix capture and total focusing method
N2 waveforms per acquisition cycle data volume of (FMC/TFM) technique is an exciting new frontier in the
PAUT versus FMC/TFM will certainly result in data file world of ultrasonic testing. As shown in this article,
sizes that are larger for FMC/TFM—sometimes much the unmistakable benefits of improved resolution and
larger. That being said, as has been seen with characterization capabilities, the ability to postprocess
personal computers, the capacity for data storage has and reconstruct the data at will, and also access
grown at a consistent rate over the years and will multiple wave modalities in one acquisition will
continue to do so. The inexpensive and widely certainly cement its place as the next evolution in UT.
available ultracompact USB drives of today have more As equipment manufacturers increasingly remove the
capacity than the most expensive desktop PC of just barriers to the implementation of this technique, the
five years ago. proliferation of FMC/TFM as an accepted and under-
stood method will provide another powerful tool in the
The Application of FMC/TFM hand of the NDT technician to perform the inspections
The increased resolution and clarity of FMC/TFM that make our world a safer place. w x
should make it an obvious successor to PAUT for
those knowledgeable in ultrasonic testing. As with any AUTHOR
new technology, there is a timeline along which this Alan Caulder: Advanced OEM Solutions; 8044 Montgomery
Rd. Ste. 700, Cincinnati, OH 45236; email:
succession takes place, and certainly those who could alan.caulder@aos-ndt.com
be called “early” and “late” adopters.
The early stage adoption of FMC/TFM has mostly ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
seen it implemented as a supplement to existing tech- This article was written with the help of the following indi-
nology, where the benefit of its increased ability to viduals: John Lorenz, Ph.D., The Phased Array Company;
Ewen Carcreff, Ph.D., The Phased Array Company; Nans
characterize and size detected discontinuities is called Laroche, Ph.D., The Phased Array Company; Remi Lalle-
upon only when a certain situation requires it. A ment, Advanced OEM Solutions; and Dominique Bracon-
typical case for this may see a service company nier, The Phased Array Company.
inspect a girth weld with a standard automated

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